Two Sides of A Coin
by mercscilla
Summary: Chloe is back after the Dark Automatons reversed the mechanical changes they did to her body but she still feels out of place, esp since her contact with the aether has lasting effects on her mind. Rush shows her another way to look at it.  Steampunk AU


**Author's Note:** Written for the "Alternate Realities" challenge at LJ's stargateland. My AU takes place in my favourite genre of all: Steampunk. It's only a small glimpse into the 'verse but I hope to expand it one day. :)  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> I own neither the show nor the characters. I don't earn any money with this piece. I just do it for fun.

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><p>The sun is peeking over the top of what seems like an endless sea of clouds, bathing the sky in shimmering gold. It's barely five o'clock in the morning according to the chronometer and the night shift has yet to be relieved but <em>Destiny<em> is already up and running, slowly emerging from the mist as it starts to extend its solar collectors.

Chloe feels the ship shudder slightly beneath her feet and she rises up from the couch she has been sitting on to step closer to the window of the observation deck. No matter how often she has witnessed the cycle, it is still as spectacular as it had been the first time. The collectors lock in place, flashing up as the first beams of sunlight hit them, and almost instantly Chloe hears the unmistakable sound of _Destiny_'s steam engines picking up speed as the heat from the star boils the water particles the ship collected during the night, turning them into superheated steam.

Releasing the breath she has been unconsciously holding, her grip tightens on the brass railing before she relaxes and her fingers tingle as the blood flows back into them. Before yesterday she thought she would never be able to see the sun and _Destiny_ rise again, before yesterday she thought-

"It's over, Chloe."

Startled, she whirls around to find Rush standing in the open doorway, looking exhausted and tired and yet his dark eyes are sharp as he watches her intently. His words are like a bucket of ice water and suddenly there is this coldness seeping through her skin again.

"Is it? Then why is my mind still able to work like a difference engine? Why can I still solve equations that I should no longer be able to? For me it is not over." Wearily she turns back towards the window and stares outside, not really seeing anything.

Rush lets his gaze travel over her slumped figure and even though the Dark Automatons reversed the physical changes the aether had on Chloe's body, he knows her mind will never be completely free of it. Once you've touched the aether, it will remain with you until your dying day.

He never told her that he hadn't feared her like Matt or Young as parts of her body became mechanical, but had been worried _about_ her. It hadn't been his place but he thinks she might have seen it in his eyes when he looked at her for a moment too long.

Sighing heavily he starts walking closer, his steps slow and measured, until he's right next to her, his body brushing against hers. For a few long seconds they both stand side by side in silence, watching the floating islands as they pass by.

It is only when Rush notices Chloe flexing her fingers again and again, her body growing tense with suppressed emotions, that he can no longer bear to see her suffering alone and he gently covers her restless hands with his own, wordlessly offering her comfort and support. She jumps slightly at the contact but her hands cease their movement almost immediately and when she shoots him a puzzled look, he squeezes her fingers reassuringly. After a few moments, she smiles softly and he is certain his heart skips a beat when she laces their fingers together.

"I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to snap at you. You saved my life, again," she gives a small laugh and his own lips curl into an answering smile. "But I can't help feeling..." Her voice trails off and she looks down at their hands, biting her bottom lip.

"You feel helpless, betrayed. But mostly you think this whole mess is your fault," he finished her sentences and she nods jerkily. Without giving it a second thought, Rush releases her hands and pulls her into his arms, tucking her head under his chin. Chloe is too surprised to resist and as the heat of his body wraps around her like a blanket, she can't help but melting into his embrace.

"Chloe, you have done nothing wrong. The Dark Automatons would have obtained the knowledge one way or the other. Yes, they do want _Destiny_ now more than ever and we will have to try and be a step ahead of them but we have an ace up your sleeve."

"Really? And what might that be?" His shirt muffles her voice but he can clearly make out the skepticism. Tightening his arms around her, Rush nuzzles her head before speaking softly. "We have you."

For a split second Chloe believes she misheard but then Rush quietly repeats those three words that turn her world upside down and her fingers curl into his shirt. He can't mean it. If it weren't for her... She tries to step back but he won't let her and so she has to raise her head to be able to glare at him.

"What the hell ar-"

His hot breath washes over her as he leans down, invading her personal space. "Brody, Park, Volker, Eli and I, we might be geniuses but it is _you_ now that knows _Destiny_, truly knows it. Under the influences of the Dark Automatons and the help of the aether you connected with _Destiny_ itself, something we never thought possible. This will give us the chance to finally work with _Destiny_ as one, to be one with it, and that is the one advantage we need."

Chloe stares at him, her fingers twisting into his shirt as she searches his eyes for any signs of deceit but all she finds is honesty and even a bit of admiration. He means every word. She had been to wrapped up in her own misery that she forgot to look at her situation from another perspective.

A gasp, half sob, half laugh, escapes her as she lets go of his shirt and throws her arms around his neck. "Thank you," she whispers, her mouth next to his ear, moist, warm air tickling the shell and the side of his neck. His "Anytime." is lost in the mass of her curls.

When Chloe finally steps back, Rush instantly misses her warmth and his hands, resting on her waist, tighten for a moment before he drops them.

He is not the only one who would have liked to stay a little bit longer close to each other but Chloe fears that if she doesn't draw the line now, she won't be able to stop herself from giving in. In the last months Rush has been the one person who never, not once, looked at her in fear. Unlike Matt. It literally opened her eyes and she knows that one day, maybe sooner than expected, she no longer will be Matt's girl. She doesn't feel sad about it.

Giving in to the urge to touch him one last time, she reaches up and strokes the back of his head, his neck. His pulse jumps under her fingers and Rush captures her hand in his, brings it to his mouth and presses a light kiss to her knuckles, his eyes shining with understanding.

The radio on Rush's belt crackles and Brody's voice, an edge of panic to it, echoes in the room and reluctantly Rush lets go of her hand.

"Yes, Mr. Brody?"

_"You might wanna come down here. The clockwork system isn't responding to our commands and the rayguns' power is gone. Again."_

Even before Brody is finished with speaking, Chloe has crossed over to the couch and picked up her (previously Rush') small notebook.

"I'm on my way. I'll bring Chloe as well."

_"Oh, thank god."_

Smirking at the blatant relief in Brody's voice, Rush gives Chloe a pointed look as they leave the observation deck. "I told you, it would be a disaster without your help." The grin he receives in response is definitely worth having to deal with the incompetence of his team.

*

Two days later the rayguns work again but the relationship between Chloe and a certain Lieutenant does not anymore. They part in friendship, no hard feelings.

The following Friday Brody finds Rush and Chloe sitting on the couch on the observation deck at six o'clock in the morning, conversing in hushed voices while taking apart one of the gaslights. They don't notice him, to wrapped in their conversation and each other.

'These two are,' Brody muses. 'Are truly two halves of a whole.'

- END -


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